A Box of Pocky
by AnimatedBritney
Summary: Such small gestures can make a big difference....ONE-SHOT.


**Disclaimer:**** I do not own **_**Ranma 1/2 **_**or any of its characters.**

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Bright and early on Monday, a pair of feet pounded the Tokyo pavement as Akane ran. She loved the feeling of the wind in her hair and her heart beating hard in her chest.

This was the one time of day that she could get away from it all. She wouldn't have to worry about her stupid engagement to Ranma Saotome. Most of the time, she felt like slapping Ranma silly. As hard as she tried, she could never to duel with him, and he would always say he didn't fight girls, even when he was in his girl form.

Her feelings for Ranma were off the radar. She hated him with every fiber of her being, but then, she would do anything for him. Her relationship with Ranma was one of many emotions: hatred, anxiety, vengeance, and dare she say it, love. It took her a while to realize it, but a small part of her was happy she was engaged to Ranma. She tried hard to not notice these feelings, but every once in a while, they would bubble up to the surface. And to ward it off, she would beat him to a pulp.

Akane ran herself back to the _Anything Goes School of Martial Arts_, and slid the door open. She looked around her home and thought to herself, '_Someday Ranma and I will run this school…._' She shook her head to rid herself of the thought. As far as she was concerned, that wouldn't happen….Would it?

"Hey, Akane," Ranma walked up to her. "Where's Kasumi? I'm hungry."

Akane narrowed her eyes at him. Ranma was such a free loader. All he ever seemed to care about was his stomach.

"How should I know?" Akane sniped at him. "I just got back from exercising."

Akane walked passed him while he gaped at her.

"Gezz, I just asked a question…" he murmured quietly. Akane shot him another glare and walked up the stairs to her bedroom.

Ranma watched her as she stomped up the stairs. He couldn't stand it when she was like that. Akane was such an uncute tomboy….and both of their fathers were pushing them to be together. Ranma tried to ignore the fact that, eventually, they would have to marry one another. He shivered at just the thought.

He walked to the kitchen to check for Kasumi again, and sure enough, there she was, her frilly apron tied around her back.

"Morning, Ranma." She said sweetly. Kasumi was such a nice girl, plus she could cook. Ranma wished Akane was like her sister. But instead, Akane was a tomboy who could never cook anything edible.

"Hey, Kasumi." Ranma greeted her. "I missed breakfast, do-"

Kasumi knew what he was going to ask. "It's in the fridge." She said as she walked with a tray of tea to her father, who was quietly reading the newspaper at the table.

"'Kay." Ranma opened the fridge and saw his breakfast perfectly wrapped in saran wrap for him. It was a bowl of rice with pickled vegetables. He hungrily grasped it, unwrapped it, and ate it right there in the kitchen. Pieces of rice littered the floor as he ate quickly with his chopsticks.

Kasumi walked back in to see the mess, but instead of fuming like Akane would, she just smiled and said, "Oh, Ranma." She grabbed the broom and swept up his mess on the tiled floor.

Nabiki leaned against the doorway watching the scene before her. "Ranma, you're such a pig." She said cooly while sucking on a stick of pocky.

Ranma just blinked at her, knowing it was true, Nabiki always acted so bluntly. He walked past her as Kasumi was finishing up her sweeping.

He walked past Mr. Tendo, when he looked above his newspaper. "Ranma, where's Akane?" he asked.

"In her room," Ranma answered.

"Why don't you go up to her room, and give this to her?" Soun held a box of pocky sticks in his palm, handing them to Ranma.

Ranma raised a brow, but grabbed the box of candy anyway. He knew this was another stunt to ease him together with Akane. He walked about the stairs, and looked at the door of her room that read, 'Akane'. He was about to knock when he thought otherwise.

'_No, Akane would get mad if I disturbed her, this early in the morning._' He thought to himself as his hand hovered at the base of her door. He lowered his hand, andbacked away, deciding to give the box of candy to Nabiki instead. Nabiki loved pocky.

He turned to walk down the stairs when he heard a noise. He turned in the direction of the noise.

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"Pop, what are you doing?" Ranma knew his father had been watching. His father was in his panda form, and he held up a sign that read 'nothing.'

Akane was getting ready for school when she heard someone outside her door. She saw the shadow of feet beneath her door as she watched the pair of feet walk away. 'Ranma?' she thought. Then she heard the voice of the person outside her door, and she knew immediately that it had been Ranma.

What was he coming up to her room for, anyway? And why had he changed his mind? She smiled at thinking the possible reasons. Maybe he had wanted to give her something….She quickly shook her head, erasing the thought. No, he's not that considerate to give his fiance a gift. She decided to agree with herself on that one as she put on her school uniform.

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"What's the matter, Akane?" her friend whispered to her during class. "You look like you are in a daze."

Akane finally looked up at the teacher, trying to understand the lecture. "Its nothing." She assured her friend.

But something was bothering her; Ranma. When they walked to school together this morning, Ranma didn't say a word. Usually, he would start to bicker at her for making him late again or something else trivially. But this morning, he didn't even bother to look at her. He just walked on the4 rail looking straight ahead. It was rather awkward not yelling at each other.

When the bell finally rang, she left her seat and went to lunch. She silently ate her fish as she watched from her bench in the courtyard at the track. Ranma was in gym this period. He seemed completely normal, he was still the best at every athletic ability, he talked to his friends, laughed at their jokes.

Ranma was running the track, when he caught her gaze. He slowed his pace and stopped to look back at her. She broke the stare, got up from the bench, and marched herself to a table full of her other classmates. They gladly welcomed her.

Ranma blinked at the girl, wondering what she had been staring at. Quickly, he shrugged it off, and went back to his business.

When school finally let out, Ranma and Akane walked back home together, with an unusual silence in between them. Akane had had enough of it. She couldn't stand silence.

"What's your problem?!" She yelled up at the boy walking on the rail.

"Huh?" Ranma was confused at this sudden burst of anger.

"You've been acting weird all day since this morning." Akane stated. Ranma was still gapping at her. She decided to say something else. "Why were you at my bedroom door this morning?" She accussed.

Ranma jumped down from the railing and dug into his pockets. "I was going to give you this." He handed her the box of pocky. Nabiki told him to keep it, and give it to Akane.

Akane didn't know how to react to this gesture. Ranma never gave her anything on the spur of the moment like this. It was kind of…romantic. Such a little thing could mean so much to her. She looked at Ranma in the eye. She started to lean forward to thank him with a kiss, when he interrupted.

"Your dad told me to give it to you." He said.

Akane starred at him for a minute, her body trembling with anger, before she slung her book bag towards his head. Ranma ducked. How could she ever think he would be so considerate? And to think, she was going to give him a kiss!

"What's that for?!" Ranma asked, confused.

Akane said nothing as she blushed and chased Ranma while she tried to hurl her book bag at him. She chased him like this all the way back home.


End file.
